Russian spy link amuses Wurtsboro

Wednesday

Jun 30, 2010 at 2:00 AM

WURTSBORO — Wurtsboro residents and business owners reacted with surprise — and a little humor — Tuesday to news that alleged spies working on behalf of Russian intelligence may have visited the tiny village to dig up buried money.

Leonard Sparks

WURTSBORO — Wurtsboro residents and business owners reacted with surprise — and a little humor — Tuesday to news that alleged spies working on behalf of Russian intelligence may have visited the tiny village to dig up buried money.

News about the arrest of the accused spies was still winding its way through the community Tuesday morning, with many people saying they had not read or heard about the charges filed Monday by the Justice Department.

But others were familiar with the made-for-TV allegations, whose details so far have referenced coded messages, invisible writing and secret exchanges in public places.

The criminal complaint also alleges that two co-defendants, Patricia Mills and Michael Zottoli, drove to Wurtsboro in 2006 to retrieve money buried in a field.

Anthony Yarussi paused to finish a cigarette before entering the G-Mart Supermarket on Route 209. News that this "sleepy-time town" allegedly has a role in an international spy thriller surprised him, said Yarussi, who lives in Wurtsboro.

"This is a very quiet community," he said.

Lynn Manto, owner of Lynn's Flowers on Sullivan Street, called the revelation "crazy," but not surprising for a place rumored to have had mob links. Old mine shafts and railroad tunnels nearby offer many opportunities for hiding, she said.

"If you're going to run or hide, Wurtsboro's the perfect place," she said. "This is a place you can disappear or make people disappear."

Charlotte Strohsahl, when asked about the spy allegations, said nothing surprised her at her age. The 71-year-old Wurtsboro resident had just one concern when she read about the network in the newspaper and saw news reports.

"I'd like to know, where's the money?" she said. "Can we all go look for it? Did they find it?"